Spending the Weekend at the Movies - Part 2

Second Film: The Great Wall

The Great Wall has been under fire because Matt Damon is the lead in this Asian story. This is a fair issue being addressed, however, without Damon being attached to the film I doubt it would have garnered the funding necessary to be made. Having said that, the film is a lot of fun. There is the expected clash between east and west with a larger story about the fate of the world. My husband described it as a combination of Beowulf and most zombie stories.

Matt Damon plays William, a mercenary seeking the mythical Chinese black powder along with his friend, Tovar (Pablo Pascal). They are attacked on their journey by something they can’t describe and run into the Great Wall where they meet Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jong). You might expect a romantic triangle to arise, but Tovar is preoccupied with escaping and William is fascinated with what and how the Chinese are fighting. We were entranced by the female only Crane unit of flying women who use a variation of the bungee cord to fly over the wall.

Tovar

The costuming is wonderful and clearly differentiates between units and Identifies the westerners. The Chinese army uses brilliant color to identify each fighting unit. The capes appear to be a bit over dramatic, but for the flying Cranes, it actually serves a purpose like the tail on a kite. During the monsters’ first attack William and his friend break loose with the help of a third westerner only to save the life of a young foot soldier, identified by his black uniform, left to guard them.

I especially enjoyed the way the stories of the characters intertwined and added more depth to what could have been a quick action flick about monsters in which the western hero wins the day. It is more complex than that because of the complex friendship between two people who, on the surface, are more different than they are similar. There was also a greater emphasis on the sacrifices made by the Chinese soldiers and their commanders than on William’s actions.

Flying Crane

It seems unlikely that some of the themes or story elements could have played out without the presence of the westerners. There are moments in this film that would be spectacular in IMAX or 3D, especially the first time you see the Cranes fly into battle. You will feel every moment that you’re in an exotic place with the wall, costumes, and subtitles, because not all of the Chinese characters speak English. We get to enjoy their snarkiness because those that can translate don’t translate everything accurately. Recommended for anyone who loves monster movies or action adventure stories. Not recommended for children who may develop nightmares about the monsters or the inevitable deaths of the soldiers defending the wall and the rest of the world.